Construction for recess in plaster wall



Aug. 30, 1966 D. A. ELLIS ETAL CONSTRUCTION FOR RECESS IN PLASTER WALL Filed April 24, 1962 1.21;; Ema/dz 3,269,067 Ce Patented August 30, 1966 3 269,067 CONSTRUCTION FOR RECESS IN PLASTER WALL Donald A. Ellis, Waukesha, and Albert T. Krueger, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Inland Steel Products Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 189,789 2 Claims. (Cl. 52216) The present invention relates generally to wall recess constructions, and more particularly to a prefabricated construction for a recess in a plaster wall.

The prefabricated recess construction of the present invention is mounted on the framing members of a wall, prior to plastering, to define a recess which may include plumbing or electrical connections, etc. The construction includes casing means for defining the side walls of a recess in a plaster wall, the casing means having open front and back ends; .a lip extending outwardly at the front of the casing means around the periphery thereof; a flange extending outwardly at the back of the casing means around the periphery thereof, the flange and lip lying in respective substantially parallel planes with the flange extending substantially further outwardly than the lip.

The casing and lip and flange define a recess surrounding outwardly facing trough into which the plaster is applied, and the parallel lip and flange are spaced apart a predetermined distance equal to the desired thickness or the plaster. These features make plastering easier by furnishing plaster grounds or inner and outer limits for the plaster surfaces, and assure the desired thickness of plaster. A more attractive, finished installation is also provided because the lip constitutes a protective terminal for the plaster inner edge portions surrounding the recess construction, thereby preventing chipping of the plaster around the recess. Furthermore, expansion and contraction of the plaster inner edge portions around the recess construction is concealed by the lip, which overlaps the inner edge portions in an outward direction.

The flange extending outwardly at the back of the casing reinforces and rigidifies the plaster wall. The relatively large width of this flange facilitates installation because it is relatively easy to attach the wide flange to wall framing members upon which the recess construction is to be mounted.

The recess construction of the instant invention may additionally include expanded metal means extending integrally outwardly from a metallic back flange around the periphery thereof. This expanded metal means serves the same function as conventional lath, and because the expanded metal means is integral with the flange, the usual defects present when such expanded metal is welded to the casing defining the recess are eliminated. More particularly, there are no burrs or sharp edges associated with the expanded metal lath of the instant invention. In addition, broken welds are eliminated. The expanded metal lath provides an excellent reinforcement for the plaster which is applied around the recess.

Other features and advantages are inherent in the construction claimed and disclosed, or will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a wall including a recess construction in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partially in section, of a recess construction for a plaster wall and in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1.

Referring initially to IG RE 1, there is illustrated a plaster wall 10 including a prefabricated construction 11 for a recess in the plaster wall, said construction constituting an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate construction 11 in greater detail. In a typical situation, construction 11 is mounted on vertically and horizontally extending framing members 15, 16 respectively by nails 17. In the illustrated embodiment, the framing members are wooden. However, other material, such as steel studs and channels, masonry, etc., may be used.

Construction 11 includes casing means 18 composed of substantially flat material, said casing means 18 defining the side walls of the recess; As shown in the drawings, casing means 18 has open front and back ends.

Projecting outwardly at the front of casing means 18 is a lip 19, and projecting outwardly at the back of casing means 18 is a flange 20, both lip 19 and flange 20 extending outwardly around the entire periphery of casing means 18. Lip 1a and flange 20 lie in respective substantially parallel planes, with the flange extending substantially further outwardly than the lip. Lip 19' is imperforate, and flange Zll is imperforate in the area of projection of lip I? on flange 24), when the lip is projected in a direction perpendicular to the flange. Flange 20 is provided with openings 28 (FIG. 3) for receiving nails 17 to mount construction 11 on wooden framing members 15, 16. All the flange openings 28 are located further outwardly than any portion of lip 19. Thus, all of the openings are located outwardly of the area of projection of the lip on the flange.

In the illustrated embodiment, all of construction 11 is metallic and lip 19 and flange 29 are integral with casing means 18. In other embodiments, all or part of construction 11 may be constructed of other materials such as plastics.

After construction 11 is mounted on the framing members, plaster is applied therearound. Casing means 18, lip 19 and flange 2h define a trough for receiving the innermost edge portions 23 of the plaster wall 22 (FIGURE 3). Lip I provides a protective terminal for innermost edge portions 23 to protect them against chipping, breakage and other undesirable occurrences which would otherwise happen if the innermost edge portions were not protected by means such as lip 19.

Lip 19 also hides the unattractive construction gap which occurs between plaster innermost edge portions 23 and easing means 18, said contraction occurring as the plaster wall dries after application of the plaster.

As another feature of the subject recess construction, the distance between parallel lip 19 and flange 20 is predetermined in accordance with the desired thickness of plaster wall 22. Lip 19 and flange 2t) define the inner and outer surfaces of the plaster wall 22 and thereby enable the desired thickness to be obtained with a greater degree of accuracy than would be possible if means such as parallel lip 19 and flange 20 were not so provided.

As indicated in the drawings, flange 20 is substantially wider than lip 19, said relatively wide flange providing rigidity to the entire construction 11. The width of flange 2t and the outward location of openings 28 relative to lip 19 also facilitates the attachment of the construction 11 to the wooden framing members 15, 16, because there is ample room for access of a securing tool to be used on securing means 17 without any interference by lip 19.

In the illustrated embodiment, extending integrally outwardly from flange 20, around the entire periphery thereof, is expanded material or metal means or lath 21. Inasmuch as lath 21 is integral with flange 20, rather than welded thereto, there are no burrs or sharp edges at the location where the flange 20 and lath 21 join. Accordingly, there is less danger of cuts or injuries to a workman installing construction 11. Furthermore, since there are no Weldments, there is less danger of broken welds, which may occur during shipment or handling, and thus render the construction 11 unsuitable for installation by the time it arrives at the installation location. Lath 21 serves the additional function of reinforcing the plaster of which Wall 22 is composed.

Casing 11 receives therewithin door means including a door frame 25 and a door 26. Door 26 may be opened to provide access to the interior of the recess, which may contain electrical or plumbing connections. The ready access provided by the instant construction simplifies and facilitates maintenance procedures for plumbing or electrical equipment in the building in which the recess construction is installed.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is: i

1. A prefabricated construction fora recess in a plaster wall, said construction comprising:

casing means defining the side walls of said recess;

said casing means having a pair of opposite open ends;

imperforate lip means extending outwardly at one end of said casing means around the periphery of and substantially perpendicular to the casing means;

flange means extending outwardly at the other end of the casing means around the periphery of and substantially perpendicular to the casing means;

said flange means and said lip means lying in respective substantially parallel, spaced-apart planes;

said flange means extending further outwardly than said lip means;

jection of said lip means on the flange means, when the lip means are projected in a direction perpendicular to said flange means;

said flange means including, as an integral part thereof, expanded material means extending outwardly around the periphery of said imperforate area;

and a plurality of openings in said flange means;

all of said openings being located outwardly of said area of projection of the lip means on the flange means.

2. A construction as recited in claim 1 wherein said openings are located in a planar perforate area of said flange means, said perforate area lying between said imperforate area and said expanded material means;

said perforate area being integral and coplanar with both the imperforate area of the flange means and the expanded material means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,989 1/1912 Buchholz 52211 1,044,533 11/1912 Johnston 52211 1,085,605 2/1914 Gunn 52211 1,310,331 7/1919 Ficklen 52182 XR 1,335,378 3/1920 Knapp 52371 1,391,258 9/1921 Lindsey 52262 1,419,232 6/1922 Curtis 52255 1,491,985 4/ 1924 Dis'bro 52211 1,701,303 2/1929 Jones 52-352 1,701,304 2/1929 Jones 52304 1,726,742 9/1929 Kienzle 52216 2,151,605 3/1939 Lavering 52396' 2,234,043 3/1941 Dworetz 52216 2,309,748 2/1943 Bralofl 52248 2,904,992 9/1959 Cruser 52256 N BB P said flange means being imperforate 1n the area of pro- 35 FRA K L A OTT Examme] WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners.

I L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTION FOR A RECESS IN A PLASTER WALL, SAID CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: CASING MEANS DEFINING THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID RECESS; SAID CASING MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE OPEN ENDS; IMPERFORATE LIP MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AT ONE END OF SAID CASING MEANS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE CASING MEANS; FLANGE MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AT THE OTHER END OF THE CASING MEANS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE CASING MEANS; SAID FLANGE MEANS AND SAID LIP MEANS LYING IN RESPECTIVE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, SPACED-APART PLANES; SAID FLANGE MEANS EXTENDING FURTHER OUTWARDLY THAN SAID LIP MEANS; SAID FLANGE MEANS BEING IMPERFORATE IN THE AREA OF PROJECTION OF SAID LIP MEANS ON THE FLANGE MEANS, WHEN THE LIP MEANS ARE PROJECTED IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAT TO SAID FLANGE MEANS; SAID FLANGE MEANS INCLUDING, AS AN INTEGRAL PART THEREOF, EXPANDED MATERIAL MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID IMPERFORATE AREA; AND A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS IN SAID FLANGE MEANS; ALL OF SAID OPENINGS BEING LOCATED OUTWARDLY OF SAID AREA OF PROJECTION OF THE LIP MEANS ON THE FLANGE MEANS. 